Randall Greenawalt

Serial Killer

Randall Greenawalt: The Murders and the 1978 Tison Gang Crime Spree

Randall "Randy" Greenawalt was an American murderer whose criminal history became especially notorious after he escaped from the Arizona State Prison with convicted killer Gary Tison in 1978. Greenawalt had already been imprisoned for murder when the escape occurred. Over the following days, Greenawalt and the Tison family traveled through Arizona and Colorado, stealing vehicles and attempting to avoid an enormous police manhunt. Four members of one family were murdered in the Arizona desert, and a honeymooning couple in Colorado was also widely attributed to the fugitives. Greenawalt was eventually captured, convicted of four murders committed during the escape, sentenced to death, and executed in 1997.

The 1974 Murders

Greenawalt's documented history of homicide began several years before the Tison escape. In January 1974, two truck drivers were killed only days apart as Greenawalt traveled through the United States. One of the victims was Henry Adelbert Weber, a truck driver whose body was discovered at a highway rest area near Blytheville in Mississippi County, Arkansas. Weber had been shot in the head. Greenawalt later confessed to Weber's killing, although the Arkansas prosecution did not ultimately result in the conviction for which he was imprisoned in Arizona. Only three days after Weber's death, truck driver Stanley Edward Sandage was murdered near Flagstaff, Arizona. Sandage was found shot inside his tank truck. Money had been taken from his wallet, and his credit card was subsequently used. Greenawalt and his brother James were arrested after authorities connected them to Sandage's stolen credit card. Investigators also recovered firearms, including a .32-caliber pistol linked to the killing. Randall Greenawalt ultimately admitted responsibility for Sandage's murder and received a lengthy prison sentence.

The Escape from Arizona State Prison

By the summer of 1978, Greenawalt was incarcerated at the Arizona State Prison in Florence. Another prisoner there was Gary Gene Tison, who was serving a life sentence for murder. Tison had three sons, Donald, Ricky and Raymond, who helped organize an armed escape. On July 30, 1978, the Tison sons entered the prison during visiting hours with weapons concealed among items they carried inside. Once the weapons were produced, guards and other people in the prison were threatened and confined. Greenawalt, who had access to the trusty annex control area, actively assisted in the escape and was armed during the operation. Greenawalt, Gary Tison and the three Tison sons then left the prison together. The five fugitives initially escaped in a Ford automobile and later transferred to a Lincoln Continental. Their freedom immediately triggered a major search throughout Arizona. The situation became more dangerous when their Lincoln developed mechanical problems near Quartzsite in western Arizona. ...

Confirmed Victims: (8)

Henry A. Weber Age: (42), Date of Death: 1974-01-12

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